Fateful encounter
by alongthedistance
Summary: A parking lot, a flying prosthetic leg, an asthma attack and the big plot twist that changed Lucy Heartfilia's life. Nothing was going to be the same after meeting that strange family. Nalu. Zervis. Cover image by alphanbel.
1. Fateful Encounter

**A/N: Hi, everyone! This is Sil (myentropicmess ) posting this time! How are you doing? This time I'm bringing you this oneshot that was supposed to be a submission for** **nalu-week** **, but a lot of this happened in my life this summer (one of them being too overwhelmed by the finals u.u) and I have postponed publishing it until now. This little work was inspired by certain list of prompts which I found very interesting and I invite you to take a look. Finally, I want to thank my friends Sara (worshiperofunknownstories** **), Sandra (onlywordswithoutsense** **) and Marta (mavis-118 ) for putting up with my procrastination and my drama... You're the best. The lyrics I put in the beginning are from the song "Talk about you" by Mika.**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Fairy Tail Universe or its characters, they belong to Mashima sensei.

* * *

' _Cause living like this is risking all that I know_

 _And if it kills me, that's the way I wanna go_

 _So pull me under, and put me under spell_

 _Rather be crazy, than normal people in hell._

* * *

Freedom.

It was all she could think about when she was wandering, getting lost in the streets of Magnolia when the day was about to die.

No cars. No ocean of people trying to drown her. Only she and her own thoughts.

Her life wasn't that way until that year: on her earliest days, when she was just a little girl, she had been diagnosed with a severe case of asthma, which had threatened her life more than once. However, she had been a strong girl and had been surrounded by the best professionals her parents could afford and overcame it. Years of happiness came, but that didn't last long: her mother, Layla, died because of a long illness and Jude changed. After that, her father locked her in their mansion, due to the fear of being sick again and repeating her wife's story.

No friends. No freedom. Only she and her solitude.

But that changed when Lucy turned eighteen years old. Her father didn't have power over her anymore. She was going to travel to Magnolia and study to pursue her dream: become a journalist.

And there she was: enjoying her way home after another long day at uni. Her flatmate, the bookworm Levy McGarden, was probably doing some research -and, even if she wouldn't tell her, probably flirting with her no-boyfriend Gajeel Redfox- at the library, so the blond would have some time alone to write a few pages of her novel.

Suddenly, the sound of a horn startled her and she found two cars: one placed at the handicap spot from the parking lot in front of her house and the other one behind it, its driver putting his head out of the window.

"What do you think you are doing, brats?" the driver yelled as he honked the horn again. "This is my spot!"

"What did you just said?" the co-pilot from the other car replied in an angered voice as he put his head and part of his upper body out of the window. "I don't see your name in it!"

"What?" The old man with white long beard and eyepatch on his right eye got off the car. "These youngsters these days have no respect to the older ones. Shame on you! Don't you pity a poor disabled man?"

"Come again?" the pink haired boy cried as he got off the car.

"That you just are a little kid that knows nothing about life and you're stealing my spot!"

"That's it! I can't take it anymore!"

"Natsu, no!" a black haired boy said out loud from the driver's window.

However, the warning did little to avoid the situation. The pink haired boy crouched and moved up the fabric of his sweatpants from where his right leg should have been, showing a prosthetic one instead, which was decorated with a pattern of flames and dragon scales. Suddenly, he put it off while leaning on the car.

"What? What are you doing?" the white haired man yelled.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson…" Natsu said as he leaned on the back of his car and catched his prosthetic leg between his hands. "You see… People who make fun at the youngest ones, telling them that they don't know shit about life, I can put up with them…" He looked at him, fire burning in his eyes. "But the ones that use their handicaps to make the others pity them… That makes me really angry."

"Oh, this is going to be interesting! I'm going to write down this!" A girl with glasses and long blond hair popped up from the window of the back of the car.

"Don't encourage him, Mavis!" the black haired boy warned. "Oh… Here we go again…"

"You are no fun, Zeref," Mavis pouted as she looked at him.

"Try the Kick of the Fire Dragon, jackass!"

As the pink haired boy said that, Lucy saw how he threw the leg to the white haired man, who barely dodged it. Watching that surreal scene, the blonde girl couldn't avoid fit of laughter, even if she knew that it was totally out of place and that maybe she would receive the weird kick of that boy. Life didn't stop to surprise her, after all.

"Younger brother, you did it again…" Zeref said while he got off the car with a pair of crutches. "If you keep using your prosthetic leg as a weapon I don't know if we will have enough money to pay the rent."

"Yeah… Yeah… Give me the crutches, big bro," Natsu replied, rolling his eyes.

"If you keep worrying about everything, you will get wrinkles, Zeref," Mavis added, settling her glasses as she got off the car too. "Stop being so negative! All of this will help our research! As your little brother uses his leg that way, we can prove different materials to make it more resistant!"

"Well said!" Natsu disheveled her unruly hair with his hand.

"What worries me is that girl," Mavis said, addressing Lucy's spot. "I don't like her coughs..."

While being too lost in the conversation between the members of that peculiar group, she didn't noticed that, bit by bit, she was starting to lose her breath because of her continuous giggling. It had been years since the last asthma attack happened to her, and she had thought that her illness was already cured. Suddenly, fear invaded every cell of her body: what if she couldn't stop it? What if she had to go to a hospital again and her father found out? Then, he would make her go back to her personal prison and give up on her dreams. She would have to say goodbye to her freedom and welcome a life full of routines. No, she didn't deserve that, not after all she had achieved until that day.

As those thoughts were intensifying her coughs and choking her, she felt a hand rubbing her back, which made her look at her side. What she didn't expect was the pink haired boy who just minutes ago was throwing his leg to a rude driver.

"I guess you didn't think about looking for this on your bag as you were freaking out," Lucy caught the inhaler and used it, being able to breathe more easily and feeling a little more relieved. "Almost choking to death because an outburst of laughter. Such a weirdo." He rolled his eyes.

"Thank… Thank you…" the blond girl tried to say while breathing heavily. "And I'm not… a weirdo," she pouted, looking away from him. "And you just… just used a prosthetic leg… as a weapon so… You just don't seem normal to me."

"I wasn't saying that I'm normal either," Natsu said, giving her his biggest smile. "I think that that makes us a good pair."

"What?" Lucy jumped as she felt how heat was reaching her cheeks. That boy didn't stop to surprise her. How could he say such things so easily not having second thoughts? Some people could tag that boy as an impulsive and a reckless one, but all she could see in him was the naivety of a kid. "I don't know what you're talking about!" The blonde looked at the ground, trying to hide her blushing. She didn't want him to get the wrong idea. How could she be so easily flustered?

"See? You're a weirdo," the pink haired boy said as he giggled. "By the way, I'm Natsu Dragneel! You've probably heard of me. Nice to meet you!"

The pink haired boy held out his hand while Lucy was thinking her response: should she tell him that she hadn't recognized him? If she told the truth, he would think that she was a girl with very little social life, which sadly was the truth. But lying to that strange boy and him finding out the truth later wasn't an option. What she knew was that either way she was doomed.

"The truth is… I don't know who you are, sorry," the blonde said, looking at the ground while slowly shaking his hand.

"Really? You're not from here, then?" Natsu asked, confused.

"Yes… Yes, I am. But I didn't really get out of my house before this year..." Lucy put a strand of hair behind her ear, nervously. "Why should I know you?"

"All the people in Magnolia talked about them: "The wizards of Fairy Tail". He was one of the best basketball players in high school along with the other ones of the team. All of us, teenagers of the village back then, knew about them." Mavis approached the spot where they were sitting while retaliating pridefully. "Don't mess with her, Natsu. She seems nice!" The girl with long blond hair and glasses held out her hand to her. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Mavis Vermillion! What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm Lucy Heartfilia! Nice to meet you!" Lucy shook hands with her and looked at the black haired boy behind her. "And who is he?" she said, addressing him.

"This handsome male with a concerned expression is Zeref Dragneel, my best friend and his brother," Mavis said, catching his hand and approaching him to the group. "What's going on your mind, old man? I think you aged a hundred years out of concerning because of this incident," she teased.

Zeref sat on the curb and then held his head on his hands.

"Didn't you recognize the white bearded man with an eyepatch?"

"No, not at all… Should I?"

"He's one of our teachers in uni." Zeref scratched his nape nervously. "They call him Hades, "the one who runs Hell"… Well, you can imagine how he is. Forget about being an engineer, Mavis. We will fail for life because of this."

"Don't be so catastrophist, Zeref." Mavis crouched and rubbed his back with her hand. "We will solve it out, like always! No matter how many obstacles are on our road or villains we have to face as long as we are together!"

"Y… Yeah… I guess so…" Mavis held out her hand for him and helped him to stand up. "Well, it's time to go home, I have lots of work to do for our research." Zeref looked at Lucy, the ghost of a smile on his face. "It was nice to meet you, even if it had to be in these weird circumstances."

"But... We've just met her, brother! Can't we stay a little longer?" Natsu asked.

"Do you live far away from here, Lucy?" Mavis smiled at her.

"No, not at all. In fact I live in an apartment in this building," Lucy addressed the place behind her.

"You live on the same place as us! That's fantastic!" the girl with long blond hair and black glasses replied as she clapped her hands.

Lucy didn't know if destiny existed or that instead life was formed by endless casualties, but she felt that meeting those people was a fateful encounter. Yes, she had her friends on uni and she loved them with all her heart, but with these individuals she felt a different vibe. All those lonely years locked in her house there was one thing that she had always wanted: finding the ones she would consider her second family. And, that day, Lucy felt her wish granted.

Lost in the endless roads of her mind, she was suddenly startled when she felt a warm arm on her shoulders. He didn't really know about personal space issues, that boy.

"So, what do you think? Do you want to come over our house?" he asked. "There's a little one individual who would want to meet you!"

How could she say yes to a person she had just met? Probably she should go back home, but meeting this weird family seemed more interesting to her. Moreover, it would be very difficult to her to say no to the warm toothy smile Natsu was giving to her.

"Will you come with me, abandon your boring life of endless homework and begin a new adventure, Lucy Heartfilia?" he said as he offered his calloused hand with a cheeky grin.

"Yes!"

She caught his hand, warmness crawling over her being. That boy would surely put her world upside down from that moment. But she wasn't afraid of uncertainty this time. In fact, she was more than ready to leave the safety of her house and write a new chapter of her life with her new family.


	2. Ugly Fairy

**A/N: Hello, there! alongthedistance is finally back! (yep, we are back in our writing mode… Well… At least I am hehehehe :P). Sil (myentropicmess) is posting this time! When I found out that there was going to be a zervisweek, I couldn't resist the urge to collaborate! Moreover, I saw that the first part of this fic, 'Fateful Encounter' got 81 notes here on Tumblr and that some of you kinda like it, so I decided to continue writing it for a little while. I want to dedicate this chapter tomavis-118 for being my partner in crime and shipping Zervis with me from that first opening they were together… They're finally canon! *-* Then, even if I'm a little bit late, I want to wish a happy birthday tonanakoblaze and encourage her to keep doing the inspiring fan arts she does, they are fantastic! As always I want to thank my sis (worshiperofunknownstories), San (onlywordswithoutsense) and my personal Mavis (mavis-118) for having so much patience and beta reading this little work I'm very proud of.**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Fairy Tail or its characters, they belong to Mashima sensei!

 **Kudos to Yuyui Hime** and **Someone123456789 for leaving reviews!** They made me very happy and encouraged me to keep writing! :D

* * *

It was just another ordinary day in his ordinary life.

Zeref had already lost the count how many times he had repeated the same routine: waking up, going to uni, coming back home to see his brother and his foster father, working in his project with Mavis and, finally, his weekly reunion at the end of the day.

He hated those nights, the ones that he had to open to some strangers and share his inner world with them. He hated how they had told him so many times that he wasn't alone and that, by accepting his problem, he could obtain forgiveness. But he didn't want it.

In fact, he didn't deserve it.

Zeref had been too selfish to help his brother in the moment he needed him the most and he had been too coward to ask for help.

"What did you expect?" he thought, bitter smile plastered on his face. "You are a demon, after all."

Meanwhile, the raven haired boy was passing slowly through the open doors of Cardia cathedral, the fresh air of the quiet night of Magnolia welcoming him. At that time he was in the rear of the building, were a little playground was being brighten by the lights of the vehicles that were leaving the place. He appreciated those kind of moments, the ones in which he could enjoy his own loneliness and he didn't have to open to people or share his inner world. The raven haired boy found it difficult to connect with the others, much more to talk about himself: every time he had to do it in the past, anxiety and insecurity had taken over his body and his mind went blank, transforming him in a babbling mess. But, as in many things in life, there were exceptions: one of them was his brother and the other was sitting in that precise moment on one of the swings in front of him. Mavis always got to see through him, analyzing his behavior as if it was data in one of her computerized systems. She was an expert mind-reader, and that was why she understood him so well.

Zeref, as he was feeling the soft cork pavement under his feet, got closer to the place where she was, leaving behind slides, sand boxes and seesaw games. His blonde friend was sitting on the swing, shifting her feet on the gravel to move it back and forth while she was typing something on the tablet, placed on her knees. Her hair, moving freely and being decorated by her usual small metal fairy clip, was shining while being bathed by the moonlight, which made her fair skin brighten. He wouldn't ever tell her but, those last years when she got closer to him because of Natsu's illness, he started to feel something _new_. Zeref knew her for a long time - they even went to both the same school and high school - but he had always seen her as a friend and a confident. However, he noticed that lately a certain warmness invaded his chest every time Mavis offered him her best comforting smile or when she was telling him about her newest experiences. That new sentiment was _nice_ , but he also was both confused and afraid. However, he didn't think about telling her. Like ever. Zeref knew that she didn't feel the same. She only saw him as her best friend. And that was better than nothing.

Finally, the dark haired boy arrived to his destination, still being unnoticed by her, who was still concentrated on her task. Then, he decided to lean on the metal bar that supported the swing, which was rusty because of the ruthless passage of time and the sudden changes of weather. What he didn't expect was that his own weight moved the damaged structure, producing a loud sound that startled Mavis, making her and her tablet fall backwards on an undignified position.

"Ah! That was totally unexpected!" she said, trying to stand up, but falling again as she tripped on her own dress, losing her glasses on the process.

"Oh… Uh… Sorry…" Zeref rushed to her side and offered her his hand, helping her to stand and to look for her glasses. Mavis placed the other on his shoulder as she briefly locked her emerald eyes on his, making him feel how a familiar warmness crawled over his whole body. That made him ran away to where the other seat was when she was on her feet again.

"Don't apologize for me being clumsy and jumpy." The blonde tried to shake the dust from her dress as she sat again on the swing, putting the tablet on her knees again. "I should have been already used to your almost non-existent appearance, but this time my senses were blurred by being too concentrated in this little project of mine," she added full of pride and pointing the device.

"What is it then?" The raven haired boy sat on the other swing while looking at the floor. He was still embarrassed by the previous event and he was sure that he wouldn't be able to talk to her if he had to do eye contact. "Were you working on our project?"

"Well… Not exactly," Mavis replied, a sheepish smile plastered on her face as she began to scratch her nape. "Do you remember that we had some homework we had to deliver online yesterday to our teacher?" Zeref nodded, looking at her. "Well, let's say that I forgot about it and I kinda entered the university's system to change a little bit the date of delivery and…"

"You… What?" he asked, a glimpse of terror in his eyes. "Mavis, you had been arrested for hacking before and if they find out you won't only be expelled but also…"

"Wow! Stop it right there, Black Wizard!" The blonde shifted her feet to move her seat aflat to approach him and put a hand on his shoulder. Mavis knew him well until the point that she could detect when his "drama queen and over concerned mode" was reaching the surface and when she had to calm him down. This time, even if his spine stiffened and heat crawled over his neck and cheeks again, he also felt more relaxed under her touch. "That happened when I entered the government system for fun, but this time it won't happen!" She winked at him. "I was a reckless teenager those years and I promised not to do it again. Moreover, nobody will notice it, the university's system is pretty wrecked already." Mavis rolled her eyes. Zeref had to agree in her last statement: Magnolia's college and computers weren't a good combination and more than once they had to ask for her friend's help to solve their problems. "But let's stop talking about my boring life… How was the reunion today?"

"Well… Same as always…" Zeref replied as he began to draw circles on the gravel with his right foot. "You know that I am not very fond of this kind of things…"

"I know…" Mavis stood up to walk slowly and be in front of him. After that, she put her hands in both of Zeref's arms, locking her eyes with his. "But I also know that even if now things seem difficult it will only get better! Just look how you've improved!"

"If you say so…" he whispered. He knew that Mavis was trying to cheer him up and he appreciated her efforts although he found it impossible to forgive himself and see the light at the end of the tunnel. Zeref found it incredible how, even if she had suffered because of him in so many occasions, the blond girl always got to stay bright in darkness and perceive the best of him when he had been unable to do it.

He still remembered that day, when his life went downfall after being rescued by her.

His lucky fairy.

His light.

* * *

It had been months since the event had happened and it still didn't feel real. In fact, sometimes he had thought that said period of time had been a nightmare. But, from time to time, flashes of the accident liked to invade his mind: the confusion, the blood that was everywhere, the broken glass that covered the scene, the bodies of their parents trapped in their crashed car, the cries of pain that came from his younger brother. Those scenes still haunted him, reminding him what he had lost and wouldn't get back. Reminding him that the negligent driver got out of the event unharmed, while his family wouldn't have the opportunity to gather the broken pieces and recover.

Sometimes he thought that if he had been the one who was in the wheelchair instead of his brother he wouldn't have that feeling of guilt.

The guilt that choked him and carried him to infinite darkness.

"Stop the thinking, big bro," Natsu mumbled, resting his elbow on the armrest while putting a hand under his head. His younger brother was going to leave behind his long days in the hospital to meet a new life in their new house and their foster father, Igneel. Zeref had his hands placed on the push handles to move the wheelchair where his younger brother was sitting as Igneel was walking ahead, leading them through their new neighborhood. "It's making my mind fuzzier than it already is."

Although their relationship hadn't begun the best way -in fact, Zeref and Natsu tried to run away from the hospital after hearing that they had to live from that moment on with his new foster father- Igneel took care of them like they were his own children. Bit by bit, in those longs journeys in which his brother had to go through an infinite amount of tests and try different therapies, they got closer and they began to accept him in his broken family.

While being too lost in his own thoughts, the group arrived to Igneel's place, a small townhouse, very similar to the other ones that were on the zone. They were going to enter the house but, suddenly, the two brothers noticed how Igneel's back got stiffened when he saw that the house's door was ajar.

"Stay here, boys," Igneel looked over his shoulder while picking his gun from the holster. "I'm going to check that everything is on its place."

The redhead quietly approached the door, grasping the weapon firmly between his hands. Before opening it, a smile appeared on his face to try to comfort them.

"Oh, don't put that expression on your faces. It was probably me forgetting to close it," he whispered. Then, he proceeded to step into his house, the door creaking when he moved it. What they didn't expect was that, after a few minutes they felt like hours, they listened their foster father's voice.

"Holy mother of…! What are you doing here?" he cried, surprised. "Thank you for… All of this… It wasn't really necessary." Natsu and Zeref looked at each other in disbelief as they heard him. "I'm going to help them enter the house. I'll be right back."

Igneel rushed out of the house and then he helped Zeref to move the wheelchair through the ramp. When he finally set one foot in the house, the raven haired boy couldn't believe his eyes. However, it had been his brother who said something.

"Holy shit! Now is when I realize that I'm high as fuck because of my pain meds!" the pink haired boy said as he rubbed his eyes with his hands. "No way in Earth Mavis could be arguing with a robot while holding a pan in our house."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Mavis apologized to them while still holding the pan, strands of rebel hair escaping her ponytail. "I just… I just wanted to give you a surprise and as Igneel had a night shift in the police and Zeref was sleeping in the hospital I wanted to give you a surprise by cooking for you and cleaning the house because, honestly, this house was a mess, but then Dummy wanted to start the rebellion of the machines by himself and stopped working and… And… "

"Dummy like… Like in _Iron Man_?" Igneel asked while the two brothers were still looking at her, mouth open in disbelief.

"Yes! Of course!" Mavis replied, happiness reflected on her big emerald eyes. "I can't believe you understood that reference!"

"I like her!" Igneel energetically stroked her blond hair, disheveling it more in the process. "You should marry this girl, Zeref."

"Oh, but we're not in that kind of relationship, sir," Mavis scratched her nape apologetically. "He's my best friend and because of that I will help him in all I can."

And that was the first day of the many that would come after. Mavis would come often to their house to help them with the housekeeping and updating them about what was happening in High School. Also, Natsu's new condition made him need new routines, therapeutic measures and transportation, in which the blond girl didn't thought twice in giving them a hand.

However, that didn't make his feeling of guilt disappear or lessen his uneasiness each time he couldn't help his brother in his crisis of phantom limb pain or when he had nightmares about the accident. At the same time, in those situations, he heard their mother's voice, reminding him that he had been a failure as a brother.

" _This is your little brother, Natsu. Don't forget that from now on you will be the older one and you'll have to protect him. Promise?"_

Weeks later from his arrival, Zeref decided to go back to school. Maybe Mavis was right and by seeing his friends he would get better.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

Mard, Kyoka and Jackal welcomed him and told him that they had missed him while he had been taking care of his brother. Zeref was happy to see them again, although they had a different look, hardened by something they didn't tell him and that had happened while he had been gone. Later, they presented him a new group of people they met along the way and that helped them with the economical problems they had been suffering. He wasn't dumb. Those people were from Tartaros, the criminal group that had been poisoning the village with drug dealing and extortion. However, he hadn't had the heart to leave them behind. They were his friends and he was supposed to be by their side, through thick and thin, how they had done in the past.

Time passed and the situation hadn't got better: he hated how he couldn't be just a mere spectator, unable to improve Natsu's situation. Moreover, their friends, swallowed by their own demons, were dragging him to hell. Said darkness caused him suffering at first, but then he reached a turning point that was going to change his life forever: the moment when emptiness and sadness invaded his heart so much that he stopped to care.

The moment he accepted that he had become one more demon in that hell.

However, that hadn't been a gradual progression. In fact, he could remember the words that started his downfall.

"I can recognize that look." Mard approached Zeref, a small box grasped in one of his hands. They were in the aftermath of one of the reunions of Tartarus, business being discussed for a long period of time. "The look of someone that had seen hell," he continued as he invited him to sit on the oil that were placed in one of the dark corners of the garage, where the meeting had taken place. "I did too."

"You can't understand what I've been through so… If you excuse me…" Zeref tried to get up, but Mard put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Yes, I do." He sent Zeref a hardened look, meaning that he was being serious. "It isn't easy to get up in the morning after you see how one of your friends got killed in front of you," the boy with the big ponytail continued. "Same happened to Jackal, that's why his pyromaniac tendencies got worse lately."

"What do you want to tell me with this speech, Mard?"

"That all open wounds need their therapy," he replied. "And I'm offering you the cure." Mard put the small metal box on Zeref's knees. "You'll know when you have to use it. Now, I should leave. See you tomorrow, friend."

Zeref was intrigued about what was the content and he rushed his way home to figure it out. As he arrived and saluted briefly his brother and his foster father, he closed himself in his room. Then, he sat in his bed and opened it, finding a needle and a vial. Drugs? Mard Geer definitely didn't really know him. Did he really think that he would fall on this? He was out of his mind.

Even if later, time would prove him that he wasn't right at that moment. Mard really knew him better than he thought.

Months passed and, the more the emptiness grew in his heart, the bigger was the temptation to open the drawer from his bedside table. But somehow he had been strong enough to refuse it.

It had been that way until one day. The day his brother had to be hospitalized again because his injury had a severe complication.

The pain, the weightness in his heart, the emptiness, the sorrow and, above all, the comforting smile of his brother that gave him every time he crossed the doors of his hospital room. He couldn't stand it.

He wanted all of it vanished in oblivion for good.

That was why one night he went to Tartarus's garage and went to Mard Geer's office to ask for help. And then, the vial helped him vanish his worries and, above all, the pain.

And that worked for a while. The drug helped him to go through the days and made him become the best of the actors: it was just so easy to fake a few smiles and make up unsubstantial conversations. There were no remorses, no worries, no pain. Just he and his calm.

That only worked for a while, until Mavis almost discovered his secret. He didn't saw her so frequently and he avoided the blonde girl intentionally because he knew that she was very intuitive and she would probably figure it out for herself.

"Zeref?" Mavis was standing there in front of him, getting closer by walking slowly. Her blonde hair, dancing free because of the wind, was decorated with a little metal fairy clip. He had missed her so much. But she didn't deserve to suffer because of him. And that was why he had to leave as soon as possible. "Are you okay? I haven't seen you in ages… I thought that you were avoiding me…"

"That's probably your mind playing tricks on you…" Zeref looked at the ground and rushed his pace. What he didn't expect was that Mavis catched one of his hands when he was passing beside her.

"No, it isn't," she responded, making him raise his head by putting a hand under his chin. "You're not okay, I can sense it."

"Why can't you accept that a genius like you can also be wrong?" Full of anger, he moved his arm abruptly, releasing it from the grasp of the blonde's hand and making her fall on the ground. He hated her, he hated his foster parent and he hated his brother because they were the reason of his suffering. Or was it because he loved them from the bottom of his own heart? His mind was blurred by his contradictory thoughts and the need of another dose. He needed to get home as soon as possible. Thus, he quickly turned over and gave her his back ready to disappear. "Leave me alone, Mavis. I'm warning you."

After said event, Zeref quickly ran through the streets to arrive to his destination. He knew that Igneel was in the hospital with Natsu and that Mavis would probably think it twice before coming to their home, so he probably could have some time alone. The raven haired boy opened the principal door and called for his foster father, but he didn't obtain any response. Then, he entered his bedroom and lifted his mattress, where his little box was hidden. Nervous as he was, he prepared the needle, not caring about the dose. He just wanted to end his own suffering and fill the emptiness he had buried in his rusty heart.

He just wanted to fall into oblivion.

He breathed in and out. He inserted the needle in the vein. Not caring if he was going to wake up later.

The first thing he did remember after that is that he was lying on a hospital bed. How was it possible that someone could find him when he was so sure that nobody was at home? Suddenly, realization came to him: maybe he didn't scare out Mavis after all and she followed him until his house. He was too terrified to open his eyes. Natsu, Igneel and Mavis had all the right to be disappointed at him. He wasn't a good brother and neither a good friend. He had failed to be all of that and he didn't deserve to be a member of their family.

Then, he felt a warm hand on his. A familiar warmness that reached his heart. It could only be her. That encouraged him to slowly open his eyes, finding a crying Mavis sitting on the armchair beside his bed.

"Mavis…" he whispered, his voice raspy. "Don't… Don't cry…"

"I'm not crying! Not at all!" The blonde quickly picked a tissue and cleaned her eyes with it. "I'm just happy to see you!" she continued as her eyes began to be filled with tears again.

"I'm sorry…. For everything… You have all the right to hate me…" The raven haired boy looked at his bedroom's door.

"You don't have to say that… I'm just glad that I could arrive to your house at the right time and I could save you." Mavis got up from the armchair and crouched beside the bed. That made him look at her beautiful green eyes, filled with genuine care and honesty. Then, she touched his forehead to retire some rebel black locks from his forehead. "Sometimes we choose the wrong paths, but is up to us to come back to the right one," she continued, standing up a little to almost touch his forehead with hers. "And I will help you to do it. We will find it, together."

"Yes…" he whispered while noticing how his eyes were beginning to be flooded too. He was still doubtful but, with her warmness wrapping him, he felt how his future could be a little bit brighter. Mavis was his lucky fairy, ready to find and save him. They were going to fight so many battles, but he knew that, with her help, he would be able to fight them.

* * *

"Zeref?" Mavis' voice pulled him out of his own trail of thoughts, bringing him back to reality. He was still sitting on the seat of the swing, the inquisitive eyes of the blonde looking at him. "Earth to Zeref! Are you okay? You haven't talked to me for a while and that was being so weird even for you… "

"Eh? Yes… I just…" Zeref scratched his cheek with one of his fingers as he looked away. "I was having a glimpse into the past…"

"Emperor Spriggan?" The raven haired boy nodded as he shifted his feet on the gravel. Being Mavis a lover of epic literature and, above all, the fairies, they decided to call his other self, the one that hid himself from his family and hurt them in the past, Spriggan, which could be translated as _ugly fairy_. "Those are things in the past. I promised you that we were going to find out the right way together, and I think that we had done a good work until now."

"Yes…" Even if at first he had his doubts, Mavis proved him wrong. The blonde and the rest of his family helped him to solve his problem, instead of refusing him. She was his lucky fairy, her brightness protecting him from his own darkness and encouraging him to do the impossible.

However, there was one issue that still bugged him: she didn't love him. Mavis only saw him as a friend and he had different feelings towards her. Their relationship wouldn't work and it was all his fault.

"Zeref, are you okay?" she said, concerned as Zeref looked at the ground. "Are you worried about something? You know that I'm your friend and that you can tell me…"

"That's… That's the problem." The black haired boy stood up abruptly, giving a very surprised Mavis his back. He needed to tell her, even if he would regret it afterwards.

"What?"

"You see me as a friend…" he said, anxiety invading his body. He was so stupid, she was going to turn him down and then his relationship would be reduced to ashes. However, he couldn't stop his words leaving his mouth. "And I don't feel the same."

"What do you mean?" He couldn't see her right now, but he could bet that a confused expression was on her face at the moment because of his words. Zeref turned around, gathering the courage to say the words that would change his life forever.

"I… I love you, Mavis!" Zeref cried. Then, he closed his eyes: he didn't want to see her disappointed with him. What he didn't expect was that Mavis began to giggle and put a hand on one of his shoulder.

"What?" He opened his eyes, looking at her in confusion. Great, now she would think that he was ridiculous by planning to have a relationship with her. After that he would have to look for a big hole to hide himself for the rest of his life. Just fantastic.

"I can't believe we have been so ridiculous!" she said, cleaning a tear with the back of her hand. "All this time I have thought that the most that I could get from you was a friendship because, excuse me, you're not the easiest person to read. Then, I chose to keep my feelings for myself, because I prefered to be with you this way than jumping the shark and spoiling everything. I can't believe we were sharing the same feelings all this time! It's fantastic!" Mavis closed the distance between them quickly and embraced the confused boy tightly.

"This is… For real?" The blonde lifted his head and nodded, giving him her kindest smile. "And… What do we do know?"

"We have so many possibilities before us…" She tiptoed to approach her head to his, closing the distance between them. "But I think that we can start with this."

Mavis' emerald eyes, the ones that could read his very soul like nobody could, were looking at him. He could even feel her warm breathe and her fragrance, which were befitting of a silver forest in the fairy realm, were wrapping him, making his heart hammer on his chest and throat. Then, she put her soft hands on both sides of his cheeks, caressing his them and making a familiar warmness appear. But this time he wasn't bothered by it like he was in the past. This time he knew that she was feeling the same and that would be the first of many intimate moments that they would share in the future. Zeref put his hands on Mavis' back and, after that, she touched his lips with hers, melting them together. It wasn't like the perfect kisses they had seen in the movies they'd watched together in Igneel's house -they were clumsy because of their inexperience- but, after so many days waiting for that moment, it felt magical.

They wished that moment could last forever.

When they separated their mouths to catch some air, they looked at each other, love reflected on their eyes. The fire was still there, burning them because of those long years they couldn't express their love. But that waiting was finally over, and that couldn't make them happier. Zeref embraced her tightly and hid his face on the crook of her neck.

He had been so stupid, burying himself in self loathing and his insecurities. She had always been right there, sharing his feelings, and he couldn't see it.

But those were things on the past. He was going to embrace his future, brighten by that girl's light that had always protected him.

The light of his lucky fairy.

* * *

"I told you! You've lost the bet, old man! Now gimme the money!" Natsu and Igneel were crouched as they were watching the scene behind some bushes. The pink haired boy had known about Zeref's crush on Mavis for so long and he knew that that situation would happen sooner or later. His intuition told him.

"Don't you pity your poor father?" Igneel pouted. "Both of us guessed the day, so can we leave it in a tie?"

"But you didn't expect that my big bro would overthink it so much and that he would wait until the night, so… " Natsu put his opened hand forward, a playful grin plastered on his face. "My draconic sixth sense told me."

Igneel rolled his eyes while putting the banknotes in Natsu's hand. Then, they stood up and began to walk: they had to arrive home before Zeref and his now girlfriend came back to avoid lifting suspicion. However, nobody would save him from the upcoming teasing.

Before leaving the park, Natsu stopped on his tracks and moved his head to peek over his shoulder. Zeref was now embracing Mavis, hiding his head on her shoulder while she was rubbing his back.

"It was time, big bro," he whispered, his lips forming a half smile. "Believe it or not, you also deserve happiness."

And then, he put the banknotes in his pocket, leaving behind that magic scenario.


	3. You should beware of what you eat

**A/N: Yes, I know I'm a very bad person for not writing this earlier but first, it's being ages since I last played Mario Kart and two, I was very afraid to write Natsu, Lucy, Zeref and Mavis OOC. But well... Yesterday inspiration came to me and I decided to make an extra chapter of "Fateful Encounter" with this prompt (yeah, I know it sounds crazy and you'll probably kill me but... I couldn't resist). worshiperofunknownstories , take it as an extra present of the "Three Wise Men" for being such a good friend. Ah! And as your birthday present (very, very late birthday present I know)... onlywordswithoutsense and I had procrastinated and we don't deserve forgiveness... Oh well... ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯**

 **Sis and anon with Zervis and Dragneel bros request...**

 **ENJOY! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Fairy Tail Universe or its characters, they belong to Mashima sensei.

* * *

Chapter 3: "You should beware of what you eat before sleeping."

"Wake up, Luigi! We're late!" What was his brother doing? Why was he trying to wake him up when he never did that? And why was he calling him Luigi? Natsu started to open his eyes and, when he saw the scene that was before him, he couldn't avoid to giggle.

"Pfff! What are you doing, big bro? And why are you dressed up as Mario? I didn't think you were into cosplay… Hahahahaha!" Natsu cleaned a tear that was escaping from one of his eyes and when he stopped laughing, he still saw Zeref, dressed up as Mario -moustache, red bib overall and the rest of it- sending him an inquisitive glare.

"Bowser kidnapped Peach and Daisy and we have to go on a race to save them! Put on your cap! We need to hurry!" Zeref gave him a green cap, the one Luigi usually wears. Natsu got up from the bed and ran to the mirror that was on one of the walls of the room. Again, the pink haired boy couldn't stop laughing when he saw himself dressed up as Luigi -moustache and green bib overall included-.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Natsu turned around to face him. "Are we in the Mario Kart?" Zeref sent him the "I'm a hundred percent done with your shit, brother" glare he was so used to. "Oh my God! If you exist, thank you Santa!" While being too excited, he didn't realize that he had put both hands on Zeref's shoulders and that he was shaking him.

"Done?" By the way Zeref was looking at him, his patience was at its limit. Natsu knew by experience that it wasn't a good idea to push the situation.

"Ye-Yes!"

The pink haired boy followed his brother and they exited the room together. Then, they magically appeared on the circuit, where his cars were waiting for them. What he didn't noticed at first was his feline friend, Happy, who had big head, big eyes and, of course, blue fur -which had in real life-. But that wasn't all. His cat was dressed up as Yoshi, with a green, white and red costume.

"Happy?"

"Who's Happy? I'm Yoshi! And you're really late, Luigi! We have to rescue Peach and Daisy!" the blue cat replied.

"Happy, you too?" Zeref continued sending him death glares and Natsu rolled his eyes. Then, he approached to his car, green and white and with the first letter of Luigi's name in it.

"Excuse him, Yoshi… I don't know why he's having that behavior." Zeref entered his car, ready to start the race. "Let's go!"

"Aye! Let's go, Luigi!" Happy pushed Natsu, nearly tripping on one of the car's wheel. The pink haired boy entered in it and checked if everything was in order. Then, he looked at the road that was before him. Man, he was so excited. In those times he had played with Mavis and his brother, he really wished to be in the game, roleplaying Luigi or Mario, and feeling what was driving on a race. And now, there he was. He didn't care if it was a dream, he was having such a good time.

When everyone was ready, the semaphore appeared. He could feel the tension over a race that was to begin. After that,, the three red lights appeared and then turned to green, marking the start of it. Natsu stepped on the gas, outdistancing some of the participants. For his first time on the game, he wasn't doing it very badly: he was second, just behind Zeref. Turn after turn the race was reaching its end and Natsu was still in the same position: every time he wanted to outdistance him, Zeref blocked him. Moreover, he was going too slow for his own likes and that was getting on his nerves.

"If you aren't going to let me pass, can you go faster, big bro?" Natsu asked, getting more unsettled as he saw how some of the contestants were beginning to reach them.

"Safety is always first, Luigi," the black haired boy said as he looked out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, but…" he pouted, trying to convince Zeref. "But this is a game, it's not like our lives are in danger or something."

"A game? Do you think that Peach and Daisy lives are a joke, Luigi?" Zeref turned the steering wheel angrily. "I don't know why do I even insist… Idiot…"

"Yeah… Yeah…"

That situation really sucked: his brother had to spoil his opportunity to be a winner in a Mario Kart race. Damn him. Natsu tried for the last time to pass Zeref, but he blocked him with his kart, almost making him get out of the road. That was it. He wasn't going to let this pass. Natsu reached for his right leg, only finding one of flesh and bone. Damn it, of course he wasn't going to have a prosthetic one. Wait a moment, that was Mario Kart… He must have shells somewhere. With one hand, the pink haired boy started to look for them. He didn't found them. When he was ready to give up, an idea came to him: that was a game, right? Maybe if he thought on them, they would appear. Natsu concentrated and, suddenly, a shell appeared in his free hand.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way, big bro… But you know that I'm really competitive when I'm all fired up…" He grinned and threw the shell, making Zeref get off the road.

"Natsu! How could you?" He heard Zeref cry as he went faster. Natsu made the last turns and reached the end of the road. Now he had to save Daisy and Peach. The pink haired boy went off the car and looked for Bowser… He was all fired up for a good fight!

"Show yourself, Bowser! I'm going to fight you!" But his enemy was nowhere to be seen. Then, he noticed a hand on his shoulder and he turned around. There was Lucy, her golden hair was middle length -when in real life was long- and in the top of it she was wearing a crown with a flower and a green emerald. She was also wearing a yellow dress with details in orange. Was she cosplaying Daisy?

"Luigi?" he asked, confused. He could expect his brother and his cat in his dream but… Luigi? What was she doing when he met her merely some months ago?

"My name is Daisy!" she pouted. Now he remembered, she always corrected him for mistaking her name. Her name was Lucy and she was beautiful as ever, more when she was trying to get mad at him. Suddenly, another blonde appeared from behind her, now dressed with a pink dress and with a crown on the top of her curly hair.

"Now give him the price!" Mavis ordered as she pushed Lucy so the couple could get closer.

"Mavis?" Natsu couldn't help but laugh by seeing she was dressed in pink. The real Mavis hated pink dresses and on the top of that being dressed up as a princess. He could remember how in a Halloween party Zeref had gave her one and she sent it flying to his head. Natsu must tell this to her to see her face. "Where is Bowser? Zeref said I must fight him!"

"Bowser? He was one of the race contestants!" Mavis replied. "And Zeref? Who is he? But by what he told you, that must be Mario's words. Maybe he was misplacing adventures… Again… " She rolled her eyes. "By the way… Where is he?"

"He was bugging me with safe driving and shit and I threw him a shell…"

"Hahahaha! It must have been funny! He deserves it for not asking me to go out on a date!" Mavis giggled. "Now I should go to save the damsel in distress… Maybe I will get in time to see his face of defeat and frustration…" Natsu could swear he saw an evil aura around Mavis, who put her hands in both sides of her pink dress and lifted it a little, ready to run. "Daisy, you have one job and it's to get my OTP together… Bye!" She winked an eye and went to look for his brother.

"Peach!" Lucy blushed trying to look at the ground to hid her face.

"OTP? She's talking strange words again…" Natsu scratched his nape. Then, Lucy cleared her throat in order to draw his attention. She was holding the Championship cup so he could take it.

"Congratulations, Luigi!" Natsu held it against his chest. However, the cup wasn't what mattered him the most in that moment. The pink haired boy looked how Lucy was fidgeting while looking at the ground. It was strange but… He couldn't keep her eyes off her. It was like gravity, making him impossible to be away from her. How could it be? Natsu had never felt that way… Was it because it was a dream? He didn't know it. What he did know was that he could felt his pulse getting faster and how a warmness was spreading through his body. Natsu put the cup in the ground and approached her. Then, he combed a rebel lock behind her ear, catching her attention. "Luigi… I…"

"Yes?" The pink haired boy locked his eyes in her brown ones, feeling how electricity ran through his body. Suddenly, none of them was able to speak any word. What was happening to him? He wasn't the type of person who did those things. Lucy caressed his cheek, dozing him out of his internal monologue. That was it. He couldn't stop himself anymore. Natsu approached his head to Lucy's and fused his lips with hers. He was surprised how he could get accustomed to that feeling. That feeling of fullness and that warmness that was making his heart beat faster. What he didn't expect was that he was running out of air. Was it because of the kiss? Was it normal? Lucy entangled her hands in his hair, making his breathing more difficult. Damn, he didn't want to do it but… If they kept kissing like they were, he would die of asphyxia. Suddenly, Natsu put his hands on Lucy's shoulders, breaking the kiss.

"Luigi, are you alright?" Lucy asked. It wasn't enough with choking that now he was having a chest pain. Was he dying because of finding his true love? No, that only happened in fairy tales.

"I… I can't breathe…" Natsu fell on his knees, gasping for air. Everything was starting to blur… Was he dying? He wasn't ready… He wanted to stay in that dream… For a little longer….

But all good stories had to end.

* * *

Natsu woke up, coughing to catch some breath. Then, when he fully opened his eyes, he saw the cause of his asphyxia: his blue cat, Happy, was dreaming peacefully on his chest. As he could notice that his mate had just woken up, his cat opened his eyes, looking at him.

"Thank you for ruining my best dream ever, Happy. I won't ever forgive you…" Natsu whispered. "Ah… Maybe I shouldn't have eaten so much in the dinner."

Suddenly, Zeref stormed in his room, wearing already his suit.

"Natsu! What are you doing? We have planned with our cousins and Lucy to go to the main square in a few minutes!"

"Yes, mom…" Natsu rolled his eyes.

He was going to have so much fun that night sharing his dream and seeing his brother's face.

* * *

The group had already made the countdown with the rest of the people gathered in the main square of Magnolia and now they were in one of the pubs of the village. Natsu and their group had drunk a little more than planned and they were having fun while he was retaliating his dream.

"Well… Well… I don't really remember the dream but... " The pink haired boy babbled while shaking his drink. "Suddenly… I don't know… I was Luigi and this little shit was Mario and… Ohmygod… You should have seen him drive… Well, "safety drive"..." He made quotation marks with his fingers.

"What are you saying, Natsu?" Zeref blushed.

"That you, little shit, didn't let me outdrive you and then you went sloooooow in the road but…" Natsu sip some liquid from his glass. "I threw you out of the road with a shell… You should have seen your face… Epic."

"Hahahahaha! That's so fun!" Mavis giggled while shaking her glass. "You have to recognize it, Zeref, you suck at Mario Kart!"

"I don't suck at Mario Kart!" Zeref protested. "It's him who is an aggressive driver!"

"No, I'm not! I'm very legal!" Natsu got up from his seat, pouring some of his beverage on Gajeel's hair. Gajeel had been one of his cousins and friendenemies since they were kids. Before Igneel had adopted Natsu and Zeref, the pink haired and his friendenemy were in the same class, beating the shit out of each other, but deep down they cared about each other. But when he and Zeref became the adoptive sons of Igneel, they turned out to be somewhat adoptive cousins with Gajeel. That was because Igneel and Gajeel's father, Metalicana, were brothers… and, in the end, everything seemed to be within the family.

"What the Hell are you doing, Natsu! Control your drinking, stupid!" Gajeel protested as he hit him in the back of his head.

"You have to recognize it, Natsu, you are an aggressive driver in Mario Kart… That's why you never win." Rogue added. He was Gajeel's brother and he came with his best friend, Sting. They were players in the basketball team Natsu had played.

"An aggressive driver! Natsu-san is so cool!" Sting cheered.

"That's right! Thank you, Sting! I will tell Lisanna that you will be in the next basketball game!"

"That's blackmailing, Natsu. You're a bad manager…" Zeref said.

"You know nothing, Zeref Dragneel…" Natsu said, making a dramatic pose. The rest of the group rolled his eyes.

"Tell us more about your dream, Natsu!" Lucy added.

"Yes! Well… Then… Then Lu-... Mavis appeared with a pink dress and talking nonsense about an OTT or OTB…" Natsu continued. He almost said that Lucy was in it… Then he would be in a lot of trouble. How could he explain her appearance without telling the end of the story? Lucy shouldn't know about it. What would she think about him?

"A pink dress?" Mavis grimaced. "Don't remind me that day… So traumatic..." The blonde took a sip from her glass.

"What trauma, Mavis?" Lucy said, concerned.

"Zeref gave me a princess costume in Halloween… Halloween!" Mavis made a face. "Who would dress up as a princess in Halloween?"

"Seriously? Stupid goes in the genes," Gajeel rolled his eyes.

"What are you saying, jerk?" Natsu cried.

"And OTP? Who is your Daisy, Luigi?" Mavis lifted her eyebrows. Oh no, he was in problems. The blonde in shipper mode was unstoppable. And he wasn't ready for revealing his secret. Above all in front of them.

"Daisy? What Daisy? Then I woke up and that's it! Hahahahahaha!" The pink haired boy got on the table while laughing.

"Look, Metalicana! It's my son doing stupid things on a table!" Natsu heard Igneel's voice and turned around to see the two policeman. Drunk.

"These youngarts… Gajeel! Rogue! Come here to dance!" As Metalicana cried that, Gajeel and Rogue looked at each other and started to run and then their father went after them. Besides, Natsu heard somebody giggling. Natsu turned to look for the source and there she was: Lucy was laughing because of the scene. God, he loved her so much. It was so sad that he had to wait until a stupid dream about a video game revealed that truth.

"What?" Lucy said. Natsu looked at her. She must have think that he was too stupid for spacing out while looking at her.

"Nothing." He smiled. Natsu wanted to live that dream. He wanted to embrace her with his arms and welcome that warmness in his chest. He wanted to kiss her and feel that electricity and that gravity that connected them. However, as much as he wished to do all of that, that wasn't the moment to do that.

Not yet.

But he knew that one day he would be able to reunite the courage to do that.

He loved challenges, after all.


End file.
